Chinese Rock

It has been well noted in art historical texts Chinese artists created beautiful and important sculptures carved from exquisite natural materials they were able to mine from their territories. While most historians tend to focus more specifically on the exquisitely carved jade and jadeite articles crafted in China, it is also important to recognize the skills of hardstone carving were limited to not only the nephritic and jadeite materials. On the contrary, different types of stones with a broad variety of visual and textural properties could lend themselves in interesting ways to the creation of a piece. The most talented Chinese artisans knew how to highlight the better features of a stone and how to incorporate the natural coloration and textural qualities into the design. For specific pieces available in our collection, please refer to the corresponding “Categories” links on the sidebar. And feel free to browse our Hartman Rare Art eBay Store